Game apparatus.



PATENTED, Nov; 29, 1904.

l W. BURBANK. GAMB APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31,1904' es /g Mfg No. 776.293. PATENTED NOVZQ,1904.

I W. BURBANK.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLIoATIoN HLBD MAR. s1. 1904.

no Maman. z sums-SHEET 2.

@ummm Patented November 29, 190e.

FFICF.

WILLARD BURBANK, OF BLACKROCK, UTAH.

GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 776,293, datedNovember 29, 1904.

Application filed March 31, 1904. Serial No. 200,969. (No model.)

To all whom, it party concern:

Be it known that I. VVILLARD BURBANK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Blackrock, in the county of Millard and State of Utah, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which thefollowingis a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in game apparatus;and its object is to provide a device of this character having meanswhereby balls or other articles may be projected'from one portion of theapparatus so as to fall or be depositedV within any one of a series ofpockets provided'within the apparatus.

vide a novel projecting device for throwing the balls.

With the above andy other objects in view the invention consists of aprojecting' device which is located at one end of the apparatus and isadapted to throw balls or other gamepieces into any one of a series ofpockets located at the other end of the apparatus. Arranged betweenthese pockets and the projecting device are parallel series of pockets,which are located at opposite sides of a track which extends from apoint under one of the end series of pockets to a pocket locatedadjacent the projecting device.

The invention also consists in the further novel construction andcombination of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed, andillustrated inthe accompanying drawings, showing' the preferred form ofmy invention, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the gameapparatus, a portion of one side thereof being.

broken away. Fig. 2 is a central transverse section through theapparatus. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section therethrough, aportion of the casing of the slides and one of the elastic holding'devices being shown in elevation; and Fig. 4 is a plan view of theslides and their casing, the top of the casing being partly removed.

Referring to the figures by numerals of reference, 1 is a base having anend board 2 extending upward therefrom and provided with avertically-arranged series of pockets 3, 4,

Another object of the invention is to pro-- and 5 upon the innerfacesthereof, the lastmentioned or lower pocket 5 being bottomless andlocated above an inclined groovcd strip 6, which extends longitudinallyabove the base 1. Oppositely-inclined strips 7 are arranged below thestrip 6 and form the bottoms of pockets 8, these vpockets beingseparated by partitions 9, which extend from the sides of stripddownward to thev base 1. Side walls 1() extend upward from the sides ofthe base and overlap the ends of partitions 9, and removable covers 11are arranged upon these side strips and bear on the partitions. Angularside' strips 12 are secured 'on the partitions 9. adjacent their upperends and are parallel with the strip 6. lhesc guide-strips 12 form ahopper-shaped inlet to the pockets 8. An end plate 13 is secured to theend of base 1 farthest removed from the'end board 2, and secured to theinner face of this end plate 13 and between the guide-strips 12 is acrossstrip 14, forming a compartment 15 thereunder, which is directlyabove pockets 16, which are formed between the end plate 13 and theadjoining partitions 9. The grooved strip 6, before referred to,projects into the compartment 15, and any game-piece deposited upon thisstrip will tend to roll by gravity into the compartment 15 and one ofthe pockets 16. Extending 4downward from the cross-strip 14 is a casing17, in which is pivoted a lever 18, having a recessed head 19 at itsupper end. The lower end of the lever projects through the inclinedstrips 7 and in rear of a slide 20, which is mounted upona'longitudinally-extending partition 21, located within a casing Thiscasing is detachably mounted bctween guide-cleats 23, arranged upon thebase 1, and is in alinement with an opening 24, which is formed in theend plate 13 and is normally closed by a slide 25. A plunger 26 isslidably mounted in the casing 22 and below the partition 21, and thisplunger is connected. to the slide 20 by means of a cord 27, whichextends around a pulley 28, journaled within the casing 22 adjacent oneend of the partition 21. A head 29 is secured to one end of plunger 26and projects through a slot 30, formed in slide 25. Forked plates 31 aresecured to opposite sides of the casing 22 at IOO 26 outward by means ofhead 29.

points adjacent the opening 24, and the ends of a rubber band 32 aresecured to these forked plates. This rubber band extends around one endof the side walls of casing 22 and through the slide 20, and it will beunderstood that whenever said slide is moved inwardly toward the pulley28 the rubber' band is tensioned.

In using the apparatus herein described any number of game-pieces in theform of marbles or other spherical objects may be employed. Any numberof players can participate in each game, and each of these playersplaces all of the game-pieces in the head 19 successively and projectsthem toward the end board 2 and the pockets 3, 4, and 5. Thesegaine-pieces are projected by drawing plunger The cord 27 will, as isobvious, draw the slide 2O inward and tension the rubber band 32. Byreleasing the plunger 26 the band will quickly return all of the partsto their normal positions and will throw the end of slide 2O intoviolent contact with the lower end of lever 18. The game-piece withinthe head 19 will thus be thrown forward. By exercising extreme care andskill the game-pieces can be directed into any one of the three pockets3, 4, and 5 desired. If the game-piece falls into the lowest pocket, itwill drop upon the grooved strip 6 and will be guided thereby intocompartment 15 and one of the pockets 16. As this result is the mostdifhcult one to obtain by means of the game apparatus, the deposit of agamepiece within a pocket 16 will count more than any other resultobtained. Should the gamepiece fall short of the pockets 3, 4, and 5, itwill drop either upon the strip 6 and be directed into one of thepockets 16 or else will fall into one of the pockets 8. Each of thesepockets has a different value, as well as the pockets 3, 4, and 5, andwhere a game-piece is first discharged into the pocket 5 and then intoone of the pockets 16 the result is equal to the sum of the values ofthe two pockets. As before stated, each player projects all of thegamepieces successively, and subsequent to this procedure the totalvalue of the pockets into which the game-pieces have been dischargedrepresents the score made by the player. The movable covers 11 preventthe game-pieces from jumping from pockets 8 and 16. Should one of thegame-pieces fall outside of the apparatus after it has been projectedfrom the head 19, it cannot be counted by the player during the game. Anelastic strip 33 may be connected to lever 18 for the purpose ofnormally holding it in position to receive a game-piece. It will be seenthat the apparatus is very simple in construction and requires theexercise of considerable skill in its manipulation in order to produce ahigh score.

In the foregoing description I have shown the preferred form of myinvention; but I do not limit myself thereto, as I am aware thatmodifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit orsacriiicing any of the advantages thereof, and I therefore reserve theright to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope of myinvention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. In agame apparatus, the combination with oppositely-arranged parallel seriesof pockets, and a longitudinally extending grooved strip therebetween;of a vertical series of pockets adjacent one end of the strip,

one of said pockets opening upon the strip, and a projecting device atone end of the apparatus.

2. In a game apparatus, the combination with oppositely disposedparallel series of pockets, and an inclined grooved strip therebetweenand adapted to direct a game-piece into one of the pockets; of avertical series of pockets adjacent one end of the strip, one of saidpockets opening upon the strip, and a projecting device at one end ofthe apparatus.

3. In a game apparatus, the combination with a lever pivoted between itsends and having a recessed head; of a-slide normally contacting with thelever, a plunger for imparting longitudinal movement to the slide, andmeans for throwing the slide into Violent contact with the lever.

4. In a game apparatus, the combination with a lever fulcrumed at apoint between its ends and having a recessed head; of a casing, a slidetherein and normally contacting with the lever, a plunger slidablymounted within the casing and projecting therefrom, a pulley within thecasing, and a flexible connection between the plunger and slide andmounted on the pulley, and an elastic strip for automatically projectingthe slide into contact with the lever.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLARD BURBANK.

lVitnesses:

WALTER JAMES, E. IV. CLAY.

IDO

